More on the Kimbo Slice to "The Ultimate Fighter" Stroke of Genius
by Luke Thomas on Jun 2, 2009 9:29 AM EDT
in MMA News
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PrintCarmichael Dave got an exclusive interview with Dana White and most notably, White claims Slice isn't financially getting his palms greased because he's Kimbo Slice:
There are so many ways to unpack this situation that we can't possibly get to them in a single post. However, it's worth contextualizing the matter. At every strange or notable interval, one should remind themselves of why matters have unfolded the way they have and what it tells us about the various players. For me, I cannot help but marvel at the UFC muscle and allure. Think about this: the one fighter who has been a part of "the No. 1 and No. 3 most-watched fights in U.S. history, topping off at 7.3 million viewers" is now living in bunk beds in a group home on a reality television show with other up-and-coming fighters for a chance at a UFC contract. That is the power of the UFC brand.
This is by no means a long-term fix for the ailing TUF format, but it's a more than suitable shot of adrenailne that will only bolster the ranks of the already committed audience for this season and perhaps the next two or even three. I also suspect the mainstream media will be closely watching, so while everyone is toasting champagne glasses on the unequivocally intelligent move by Zuffa, we must also be mindful the "Lord of the Flies" antics so common on TUF could be more closely scrutinized with Slice's inclusion on the program.
So much more to come.
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I heard this news really late last night and just could not believe it. To actually hear Dana talking about it now is insane! God do I wish these shows would air right after being taped. You just know the results are going to be leaked.
I have to hand it to Kimbo and whoever told him to go on the show. I know Rampage has said that he respects him and gives him props for doing what hes done coming from the streats and all, so I’m sure they will be getting along if he coaches him.
From Rampages Twitter:
I’m starting the first day at my new job. Hope my co-worker likes me! Haha…
Just got done with a long first day on the job. I liked everybody but one!
he is prolly talking about rashad as the one. i can see kimbo and rampage getting along
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
i was never a fan of kimbo…more for the fact he was on cbs and being showed to the mases as the face of MMA. i just didnt think that was the image the person at home needed to see when they first got a glimpse of this sport. If he would of fought in the mid card fine but being above ranked fighters just because you sell a ticket isn’t what mma is about. I hope he has improved his fighting skills since we last saw him and i wish him best of luck.
…i got to admit the notion of him being on the show has me interested more than i was two days ago.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
Didn't know that Rampage was named after the most AWESOME Game in the World!!
Rampage, made by Midway Games here in my home town, right next to Lane Tech.
WIN!!
Rampage is a nickname his real name is Quinton Jackson
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
Kimbo earned
a little of my respect back. Instead of fighting cans for paydays in jerkwater USA promotions, he is making an attempt to join the big show. I don’t think he will succeed, as the Bob Sapp strategy will surely end his days in the TUF house.
This is a killer move for ZUFFA. If Kimbo fails, Dana can say “I* told you so.” and if Mr Slice wins Dana can say "We have the #1 primetime, youtube, backyard sensation.
Incredible business decision again by Dana and Co.
What I don’t understand was how Dana snagged him. Kimbo doesn’t have to prove s***, he’s very marketable! He has enough Hollywood juice / “one trick pony” action that he could do Nickelodeon for a few more years doing kids specials. The fact that he’s not getting paid, nor is he getting endorsements really blows my mind. Wow!
Nicely done, Dana!
Kimbo needs another venue
I am not thrilled with this.
I thought everyone is always saying how Dana does not pander and do gimics…he’s all about MMA. If that’s the case then how can he get in bed with this guys who he has called a “joke” a “bum” and “not a real fighter.”
I understand it’s probably a good business decision…but it’s not going to further MMA in a positive manner.
White has already gone back on his word getting Kimbo under his promotion (unless he thinks he’s no longer a joke or has become a real fighter), how long until he starts making other exceptions for Kimbo.
Dana isn’t going back on his word, he always said the only way Kimbo could get in the UFC is by going on TUF and earning a spot and that’s exactly what happened.
Right...
Corey Hill lied to get on the show and had no fights…a lot of guys get on TUF that aren’t great fighters. Its a chance to prove if you are, or aren’t worthy of at least being cannon fodder in the UFC. Dana basically said “unless he proves that he can really fight on TUF, I’m not paying him shit”
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 2, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, and honestly there is no risk here for Dana or the UFC. They get to reap the ratings rewards, and Kimbo is likely to fight at at least one UFC event. If he keeps winning it just means more viewers, if he loses then they say I told you so and move on. Either way they are going to get a ton of press and a ton of new eyes that wouldn’t have been there without Kimbo.
I don’t think all the fighter development in the world is going to prevent him from getting KO’ed in the future.
He got knocked out by a jab from a 205’er.
I don’t see how acquiring him is genius for anything other than TV show ratings.
Hope there is some quality contenders on the show and it’s not a bunch of hand picked C level fighters like the UK Vs USA show is.
Kimbo is a smart businessman
Win or lose, he needs the spotlight to earn his bread, and you can’t find a bigger one than TUF on Spike in terms of sheer reach.
This is so perfect a set up I can’t help wondering: At what point did Dana start planning to pull this off?
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
It's on the Sportscenter crawl
Fedor/Barnett didn’t make the SC crawl, but this did. Fucking genius move.
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 2, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions
SC crawl? Is that the ticker that goes along the top with a screen on the left side of the screen with all the sports updates? Fedor/Barnett did make that. I saw it myself.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Jun 2, 2009 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
I know right? lol
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Jun 2, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions
I bet you....
Brock is going to make an appearance and jaw with Kimbo…..
I am excited to see Kimbo prove he is more than just another person the Shaw’s took advantage of. I hope he gets the training he deserves and earns some respect. I think if he makes it to the finals of the show – he’ll do well in the UFC.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
If Dana can eat his words to get Kimbo on TV surely he can eat his words and get Fedor.
I dislike Matt Hughes.
i believe they will offer everything but part ownership after the Barnett fight. Signing Fedor would put the final Nail in other MMA orgs. he doesnt draw that much but he does draw the hardcore fan…every hardcore fan knows where fedor is and when he is fighting and u normally watch the rest of the card as well…take him and put him in UFC and a lot of buzz would die for other places.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
Say what you want about Kimbo, but you gotta give props to the guy for showing up. This oughta be interesting for sure. This is just a win-win situation for the UFC. My only reservation is the “lord of the flies” antics that Luke mentioned. I don’t know if this may be a case of “be careful what you wish for,” but increased mainstream coverage will only magnify any stupid antics in the house. However, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. Please, just no more human fluids.
I love me some Sexyama!
Yeah, I won’t mind most of the tough guy antics or pranks or what have you. Just as long as guys aren’t drinking piss and throwing jizz on each other, I’ll probably be ok.
“who drank all my damn Kool aid” Kimbo then destroys the house. lol serious though i think this could let people get to know him more he could be a kool dude and might make people more understanding. It isn’t easy i suppose to have a company on your back in your first few fights.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
15 young hungry fighters who bust their ass to try and get ahead in the sport and one 35 year old dude who got huge press and money because of youtube, I can imagine the house will be real fun this season.
Don’t forget the rumored ex football players.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Sources close to the cast members have exclusively told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) at least four former NFL players have been selected to compete on “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” a heavyweights-only season of the UFC’s reality series that debuts Sept. 16 on Spike TV. The list includes Marcus Jones, Matt Mitrione, Brendan Schaub and Wes Shivers.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/15070/quartet-of-nfl-vets-to-join-kimbo-slice-on-ufc-the-ultimate-fighter-10-cast.mma
I wonder where kimbo has been training. The thought of him not getting any better and just being rusty after 9 months of not training is frightening. Not really, but I thought Bas Rutten stopped training him, that’s the big question. If he’s been in a good camp then who knows, he might have a chance.
Realistically
Do you think Kimbo is getting paid for this?
He’s all about the Green. That’s not bad, but that’s a far cry from being all about MMA.
Think about this: the one fighter who has been a part of “the No. 1 and No. 3 most-watched fights in U.S. history, topping off at 7.3 million viewers” is now living in bunk beds in a group home on a reality television show with other up-and-coming fighters for a chance at a UFC contract. That is the power of the UFC brand.
Easy now. Power of the UFC Brand?!?! Getting Ishii over from Japan shows the power of the UFC brand, but citing the ‘power of the UFC brand’ for getting Kimbo Slice on TUF? Come on now. Kimbo is a B-grade prospect at best. Strikeforce or Affliction werent gonna sign him. Where else is Kimbo gonna get his bread? He belongs on TUF as a rookie prospect.
If you are going to give credit to anybody about Kimbo, or cite the power of a promotion, give credit to EXC as it was them who did the impossible and got such huge ratings for an aging guy who was largely unskilled and unproven. That was the amazing part. Dana White wanting to cash in on the promotion that EXC did of Kimbo Slice is sensible but lets see this for what it is…….A short term opportunity to cash in on the buzz that EXC generated for Kimbo. Good move? Sure. But all this ‘look at the power of the UFC’ and ‘Dana White is a genius’ talk is a bit much.
Strikeforce tried to sign Kimbo but his management turned it down, apparently so he could do TUF for free. That’s the point that was being made, Kimbo turned down real money offers to do a reality show for free on the chance that he could win a UFC contract.
Strikeforce had an option to acquire Kimbo’s contract but they didnt want it. In fact, his was the only option they didnt exercise according to sherdog. They did try to negotiate for a more appropriate pay……….but couldnt come to terms coz I imagine Strikeforce wanted to pay him based on his ability as a fighter rather than continue the circus show and base events around him.
I dont fault Kimbo for making this decision. He has chosen the path that will get him the most exposure and more opportunities to milk his ‘fame’ through endorsements, sponsors and the media…….etc. I dont fault the UFC either. Casual fans watched Kimbo and they want casual fans to watch TUF. Its a logical and sensible decision, but getting a B-Grade celebrity fighter on TUF who has few other significant prospects hardly warrants high praise and labels of genius in my opinion. Its not like people were throwing money at Kimbo left right and centre. Affliction werent interested and as I mentioned above, Strikeforce didnt wanna pay him anything like what EXC did.
If the UFC sign Ishii in 12 months time after he has some experience in Sengoku and has developed his fan base, Ill be the first to commend the UFC for their strategy. Throwing fighter based on hype into a show based on hype and drama is about as straight forward as it gets to me. Its a good move? Absolutely, but hardly genius.
It wasn’t that Strikeforce didn’t want Kimbo it’s that they couldn’t come to terms with Kimbo, there is a huge difference between not wanting him and not being able to meet his asking price during negotiations:
The 34-year-old father of six also opted to pass on a potential multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, which had obtained an option to purchase the bearded Internet phenomenon’s contract from Pro Elite last February.
Ferguson’s management told Sherdog.com that the promotion was offering less than the fighter’s Pro Elite contract had stipulated (Slice was paid $175,000 and $500,000 for two of his last three bouts), though both parties split on amicable terms. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/update-tuf-takes-slice-17739
by who me on Jun 2, 2009 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
At the very least, win or lose, at least Dana can see that Kimbo isn’t here to mess up the sport, he’s not just there for the money (even though I believe he’s being paid under the table) and that he wants to start over and kind of do it the right way (even though being on TUF is kind of taking a short cut. I mean hell, talk about people not paying dues, Lesnar was pretty much handed the keys to the kingdom when he walked in the door. Of course no one mentions that anymore since he’s the champ now and all.
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